Seal-fastening.



W. & G. VICKERY.

SEAL FASTENING. 7 APPLICATION FILED JAN. e, 1908.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. & G. VIGKERY'. SEAL FASTENING.

- APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, 1908. I 91 7, 1 99. Patented Apr. 6, 1-909.

2 SHEETS- ERRET 2.

if" g 7 the latch on its front side.

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WILLIAM VIOKERY, OF MILVERTON, AND GEORGE VIOKERY, OF NORTON FITZWARREN, ENGLAND.

SE AL-FASTE NING.

Application filed January 6, 1908.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Serial No. 409/201.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM VIOKERY and GEORGE VIGKERY, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Milverton, in the county of Somerset, Eng land, and Norton Fitzwarren, in the county of Somerset, England, respectively, have invented new and useful Improvements in Seal- Fastenings, of which the following is a speci- 'lication.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of what are known as seal fastenings for boxes, baskets or the like. In these fastenings, the part by or through .1 which the latch, which engages the hasp upon the lid of the box, basket or the like, can be actuated, is protected, when the fastening is closed, by a seal, which must be mutilated or destroyed before the latch can be actuated and the box, basket or the like opened.

According to the present invention, the latch is pivotally mounted in the latch casing and has the nose-piece which engages The latch is normally pressed toward the front of the latch casing by a spring and must be moved backward on its pivot against the action of this spring when it is desired to release it from the hasp. This backward rotary movement is effected by means of a lever which is pivoted upon a pin running transversely of the latch casing and is formed or provided with a nose-piece or projection, which bears against the front of the latch, and, when the lever is in a position at right angles to the -front of the casing, holds the latch clear of the hasp. The pin upon which the lever is mounted may be arranged to traverse the cavity provided for the seal or label or the back plate of the said cavity may be bent or shaped so as to embrace the pin, a slot in the said plate permitting the passage of the body of the lever. The lever, when turned into position parallel with the front of the casing, is within the seal or label cavity, and the seal or label, when inserted, covers the lever. It is therefore necessary to mutilate or destroy the seal or label before the lever can be got at and operated to move the latch back clear of the hasp. In addition to the circular aperture in the front of the casing affording access to the seal, and that provided for the passage of the body of the lever, a rectangular or other shaped opening may be provided of such dimensions as to enable the seal or label to be used also as the address label or the destination indicator of the box, basket or the like or for receiving any other particulars. A hasp, such as is employed in con nection with the fastening before referred to, may be employed in the present instance, or, instead of such hasp and when the latch is designed for use in connection with baskets, such, for instance, as mail baskets, the hasp may be formed upon a ring or eye so that it may be secured to the said basket by the ring or eye encircling one of the members of the lid of the basket. proper access to, and withdrawal and replacement of the seal or label may be prevented when the box, basket or the like is fastened, a depending plate or lug is formed upon the hasp carrier, which partly, or wholly, closes the upper end of the seal or label cavity.

Referring now to the accompanying drawingsz Figure 1 is a front view of a seal fastening in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line AA of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a view of the interior of the fastening, the front plate being removed. Figs. I to 9 are detail views of thevarious parts of the device. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a hasp suitable for use with boxes. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the same.

In the embodiment illustrated, the latch casing consists essentially of three parts.

or to a series of pressing or stamping opera- .7

tions. The pressing or stamping operation, or the series of pressing or stamping operations, is or are, such that at the completion thereof the first part of the latch casing comprises a central longitudinal and rectangular depression 1 and two lateral plane portions 2 at right angles to the side walls and parallel to the back wall of the depression. The sec- 0nd of the parts constitutes the front of the casing and is pressed or stamped to the out line shown in Fig. 1. The lateral projections or lugs 3 form the means by which the attachment of the latch casing to the box, basket or the like is effected. Instead of the lugs or projections being formed on the front In order that implate of the latch casing they may, as will be obvious, he formed on the sides of the plane portions of the first part of the casing, or on both the first and second parts of the casing. In the latter case, the lugs or projections on the front plate would coincide with those on the first part when the several parts of the latch casing were assembled. The third of the parts of the casing constitutes with the first part a latch chamber. This third part is pressed or stamped to the shape or form shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 8, that is to say, as seen in the front view (Fig. 4), it is of T-shape with vertical member 4 and'horizontal members 5. In the side view (Fig. 5) it will be seen that the horizontal members 5 have a horizontal and backwardly extending part 6, the shape of which, in plan, is shown in Fig. 8. The vertical member 4 is bent horizontally as at 20 and then, again dropped vertically as at 21, said part 21 being preferably parallel to member 4 and by means of which, space for the pivoted lever 13 is provided as shown in Fig. 2. The part 21 terminates in a horizontal part 22 and then in a vertical part 23 which is secured to the casing as shown in Fig. 2.

To assemble the three parts to constitute the latch casing, the first and third parts are first taken and secured together. The vertical member 4 of the third part is placed within the depression 1 and the horizontal members 5 are passed into slots 7 that are formed in the side walls of the depression 1 just to the rear of their connection with the lateral plane portions 2. The horizontal members 5 are therefore behind the lateral plane portions 2 and the slots 7 are of such depth that they will permit the lower surface of the horizontal and backwardly extending part 6 of the third part to rest upon the upper ends of the side and back walls of the depression 1. The upper ends of the side and back walls of the depression 1 are cut away so as to be slightly below the upper ends of the lateral plane portions 2 (Fig. 6) and the part 6 is of such thickness that when in the position just mentioned its upper surface is level with the upper edges of the lateral plane portions The lower end of the vertical member 4 is, when the members 5, 6 are in position, secured to the back wall of the depression 1, as by a rivet. The front plate is secured to the lateral plane portions 2 of the back part by rivets but is held at a little distance therefrom so that a space or cavity 8 is formed between the two. This space or cavity 8 forms the seal or label receptacle. The front plate is maintained at a distance from the back part of the casing by distance pieces 9, which, in the embodiment now being described, are formed by bending over the outer edges of the lateral plane portions 2, as shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7.

10 is the latch. This latch, which is of the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 9, is arranged within the latch chamber formed by and between the first and third parts of the casing and is pivoted at the lower end on a pin 11 secured at its ends in the side walls of the depression 1. The latch 10 is under spring pressure and is pressed toward the front of the casing by a spring 12 that encir cles or partly encircles the pin 11, and the ends of which bear against the back wall of the depression 1 and the back of the latch 10.

13 is the latch actuating lever. This lever is mounted within the latch chamber on a pin 14 secured at its ends in the side walls of the depression 1 and passes through a slot 15, when in position, to the front of the memher 4. The nose 16 of the lever is arranged to press against and move the latch 10 backvt'ardly when the lever is turned upward from the position shown in Fig. 2 through a right angle. 7

As will be seen in Fig. 1, the front plate is formed with an opening therethrough. "l he upper part 17 of this opening is rectangular and is of such dimensions as to enable the seal or label which is placed in the cavity 8 behind the front plate to be used also as the address label or the destination indicator of the box, basket or the like. The lower part 18 of the opening is circular and opens into the rectangular part. It will also be seen from Figs. land 2 that the lever 13 is behind the openings 17, 18 in the front plate and also behind the seal or label cavity 8 formed by and between the first and second parts of the casing. If, therefore, a seal or label of proper shape be passed through the upper and open end of and into the cavity 8 it will cover the lever 13 and it will be impossible, without first mutilating or destroying the seal or label, to get at, through the circular opening 18, the lower end of the lever, and by pulling thereon, turn the lever on the pin 14 into a position at right angles to that shown in Fig. 2 and thereby move the latch 10 backward out of engagement with the hasp 19.

In Figs. 10 and 11 a construction of hasp suitable for use with boxes is shown. In 2 another construction is illustrated. In both constructions, a depending plate or lug 20 is provided for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned. The hasp shown in Fig. 2 is of the construction herein mentioned when the latch is designed for use in connection with baskets. 1 7

To apply a seal fastening constructed as described to a box, the front wall of the box, at the part at which it is desired to secure the fastening, has formed in it a rectangular opening extending downward fron the top edge of the wall for such a distance and of such a Width that the depression 1 will fit therein and the underside of the part 6 will rest upon the top edge of the wall. The arrangement will be such that the rear sides of the lateral plane portions 2 will come against the outer side of the front wall and the de pression Will extend toward the inside of the box, the inner side of the lower end of the rear wall of the depression, below the ends of the side Walls, coining against the inner face of the front Wall. The seal fastening will be secured in position by screws passing through the holes in the lugs 3 into the outer face of the front wall and in the part 6 into the upper edge of the front Wall and, it may be, by a screw passed through the hole, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the lower end of the rear Wall of the depression 1.

What vve claim is 1. In a seal fastening, the combination of a front plate provided with a central opening, a casing constituting a latch chamber, a hasp provided with a projection entering said chamber, a pocket or cavity between said front-plate and said casing, a seal in said pocket adapted to close the opening in said plate, a latch pivoted in said casing and adapted to engage and hold said hasp and means located behind said seal adapted to free said hasp from said latch.

2. In a seal fastening, the combination of a front-plate provided with a central opening, a casing constituting a latch chamber, a

hasp provided with a projection entering said chamber, a pocket or cavity between said front-plate and said casing, a seal in said pocket adapted to close the opening in said plate, a latch pivoted in said casing and adapted to engage said hasp, and an operating lever located behind said seal, said lever being fulcruined in said chamber and adapted to release said latch when turned about its pivot in such manner that one arm will pass through the opening in the frontplate.

3. In a seal fastening, the combination of a front-plate provided with a central opening, a casing constituting a latch chamber, a hasp provided With a projection entering said chamber, a seal between said front-plate and said casing and adapted to close the opening in said front-plate, a latch pivoted in said casing and adapted to engage said hasp and an operating lever whereby said seal will have to be broken before said lever can be turned to free said latch.

Dated this 24th day of December, 1907.

WILLIAM VICKERY. GEORGE VIOKERY. Witnesses:

Einnn J. FUssELL, GEORGE T. PITOHER. 

